1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to brackets and holders for decorative lights, and more particularly to a generally L-shaped bracket having a flat horizontal base portion and a vertical face portion at one end thereof base with at least one aperture in the base portion for receiving various types of fasteners to secure the horizontal base portion to a generally flat surface and an aperture in the vertical face portion which allows a decorative light bulb and socket assembly to be installed and removed as a single unit without disassembly.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
It is widely popular during festive seasons, such as Christmas to decorate a residence or commercial building with strings of decorative lights. Conventional decorative lights include a plurality of electrical sockets along the length of an electrical wire which is connected to an electrical power source and light bulbs of various colors are screwed into the sockets.
The string of lights are usually installed on a flat surface of the residence or building by stapling the wire along its length to the flat surface and the staples often penetrate the insulated wire or sever the wire. Threaded hooks have also been used to support the string of lights.
There are several patents and commercially available brackets which may be used to install decorative lights, most of which require the light bulb to be removed from its socket, inserted through a hole in the bracket, and then to be screwed into its socket to retain the bulb and socket on the bracket, and the reverse operation is required to remove the bulb and socket from the bracket. However, this installation method is time consuming and labor intensive, especially on large commercial buildings.
There are other brackets which are configured to retain the light bulb and socket assembly in a vertical orientation which is unsatisfactory for outdoor installations because water and moisture may run down the neck of the light bulb and enter the socket through the threads of the light bulb base and socket connection which can cause corrosion or an electrical short.
Comito, U.S. Pat. No. 4,795,121 discloses a window frame light hanger device comprising an "L" shaped elongate strip having a first and second leg portion normal to each other with a series of longitudinally spaced tapered keyhole shaped openings formed in both leg portions to receive a light socket, and a series of longitudinally spaced nail holes formed in the L-shaped strip in alternating relation to the keyhole shaped openings and on the same longitudinal axis. This device would not be suitable for use in installing a large number of lights in spaced apart relation.
Gary, U.S. Pat. No. 4,851,977 discloses an L-shaped decorative light support device adapted to be inserted between the decking and shingles of a building roof and maintained therebetween solely by frictional contact. The device has an elongate flat horizontal leg and a vertical leg. The horizontal leg may be provided with transverse undulations to increase the frictional engagement between the overlapped layers of the roof structure, or may have a inwardly converging V-shaped notch which allows the horizontal leg to be inserted between the layers around a fastening device such as a roofing nail that holds the shingles. The vertical leg may have a single complete circular hole therethrough or a pair of vertically adjoined holes of different diameter. The diameter of the holes in the vertical leg is large enough to receive the base portion of a decorative light bulb therethrough before the light bulb is connected to its socket and small enough to prevent the connected light bulb and socket from passing therethrough. In other words, the bulb must be removed from its socket, inserted through the hole and then screwed into its socket, and the reverse operation is required to remove the bulb and socket from the device.
Gary, U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,131 discloses another L-shaped decorative light support device adapted to be inserted between the decking and shingles of a building roof and maintained therebetween solely by frictional contact. The device has and elongate horizontal leg and a vertical leg. The horizontal leg may have an inwardly converging V-shaped notch which allows the horizontal leg to be inserted between the layers around a fastening device such as a roofing nail that holds the shingles. The horizontal leg has a tab or tabs at the outer end which fold back over the horizontal portion at an acute angle to increase the frictional engagement between the overlapped layers of the roof structure. The vertical leg may have a single complete circular hole therethrough or a pair of vertically adjoined holes of different diameter wherein the diameter of the holes in the vertical leg is large enough to receive the base portion of a decorative light bulb therethrough before the light bulb is connected to its socket and small enough to prevent the connected light bulb and socket from passing therethrough. In other words, the bulb must be removed from its socket, inserted through the hole and then screwed into its socket, and the reverse operation is required to remove the bulb and socket from the device. Alternatively, the hole is surrounded by a tubular tapered collar to receive and frictionally engage a socket inserted from the rear of the collar.
Young, U.S. Pat. No. Des 319,575 shows a Z-shaped outdoor light holder with a ring shaped portion to receive the socket of a light bulb holder. This device would position the light bulb and socket assembly in a vertical orientation which is unsatisfactory for outdoor installations because water and moisture may run down the neck of the light bulb and enter the socket through the threads of the light bulb base and socket connection which can cause corrosion or an electrical short.
Gary, U.S. Design Pat. Nos. Des 321,124; Des 321,125; and Des 322,211 show L-shaped decorative light support devices having an elongate flat horizontal leg and a shorter flat vertical leg with a single complete circular hole through the vertical leg. These designs require that the bulb be removed from its socket, inserted through the hole and then screwed into its socket, and the reverse operation is required to remove the bulb and socket from the device. There are no apertures for attaching the horizontal leg to other surfaces.
Gary, U.S. Pat. No. Des 324,990 shows a light support bracket adapted to be inserted between the decking and shingles of a building roof and maintained therebetween solely by frictional contact. The bracket has and elongate horizontal leg, a short vertical leg adjoining the horizontal leg, and a second horizontal portion adjoining the vertical leg and extending parallel to the elongate horizontal leg to form a generally square C-shape. The second horizontal portion has a hole therethrough with an opening extending from the hole to the exterior. The elongate horizontal leg has a tab adjoined thereto by an integral hinge which allows the tab to fold back over the horizontal portion at an acute angle to increase the frictional engagement between the overlapped layers of the roof structure. This device positions the light bulb and socket assembly in a vertical orientation and there are no apertures for attaching the horizontal leg to other surfaces.
Gary, U.S. Pat. No. Des 325,866 shows a light support bracket adapted to be inserted between the decking and shingles of a building roof and maintained therebetween solely by frictional contact. The bracket has and elongate horizontal leg and a vertical tubular portion adjoining the horizontal leg. The elongate horizontal leg has a tab adjoined thereto by an integral hinge which allows the tab to fold back over the horizontal portion at an acute angle to increase the frictional engagement between the overlapped layers of the roof structure. This device positions the light bulb and socket assembly in a vertical orientation and there are no apertures for attaching the horizontal leg to other surfaces.
Gary Products, Inc. of Lubbock, Tex. has recently introduced a decorative light holder adapted to be inserted between the decking and shingles of a building roof and maintained therebetween solely by frictional contact. The holder has and elongate horizontal leg with a tab at the outer end which folds back over the horizontal portion at an acute angle to increase the frictional engagement between the overlapped layers of the roof structure. The holder has a short vertical portion perpendicular to the horizontal leg and an extension perpendicular to the short vertical portion. The extension has a pair of adjoining holes of different diameter with an opening extending from the outermost hole to the exterior. An integral hinge between the short vertical portion allows the extension to be parallel to the horizontal leg in a generally Z-shaped configuration for vertical bulb and socket installations, or to be folded to be parallel with the short vertical portion in an L-shaped configuration for horizontal bulb and socket installations. There are no apertures for attaching the horizontal leg to other surfaces.
The present invention is distinguished over the prior art and these patents in particular by a generally L-shaped bracket for supporting and displaying a decorative light bulb and socket assembly which is formed of resilient material and has a flat horizontal base portion, a contiguous vertical face portion at one end of the base portion extending outwardly perpendicular thereto, at least one aperture in the base portion for receiving various types of fasteners to secure the horizontal base portion to a generally flat surface, and an aperture in the vertical face portion defined by a circular hole near its outwardly extended end of sufficient diameter to partially encircle the neck portion of the light bulb and an adjoining narrow opening extending outwardly from the circular hole to the exterior of the vertical face portion which is smaller in width than the neck portion of the light bulb. The bracket allows a decorative light bulb and socket assembly to be installed in the bracket as a single unit without disassembly by pressing the neck portion the light bulb adjacent its socket through the narrow opening into the circular hole to become partially encircled thereby, and to be removed therefrom as a single unit by pulling the neck portion of the light bulb adjacent its socket outwardly through the narrow opening. The vertical face portion may have a tapered cross section diminishing in thickness in the vertical direction and the horizontal base portion may be provided with an opposed facing extension and may have short transverse angular projections facing toward the vertical face.